Roamings of a Leo: Traction Ave, LA

Who knew? There is amazing life in are area East of Alameda around 3rd street. The street is called Traction Ave with colorful street art, some interesting cafes and loft housing. I was led there by a review of a gallery installation at The Box at 805 Traction. This was created by Paul McCarthy in collaboration with his son Damon. The gallery is run by his daughter, Mara. The show is called "Rebel Dabble Babble". David Pagel, the LA Times reviewer wrote that it "is a dark and noisy labyrinth that covers two floors and spills into the parking lot. In eight rooms and passage ways, 11 videos play continuously - and loudly - among props, sets and equipment." Some videos are reenactments of scenes from "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Splendor on the Grass" with James Franco playing James Dean. The reviewer refers to it being "no more unsettling than any of the other rambunctious nuttiness and bare-naked lunacy that is McCarthy's stock-in-trade."

I tried to appreciate the show and a conversation with the gallery attendant (who was wearing large ear protectors to muffle the noise of screams and attacks) was helpful to understand that these films may represent some of the craziness that took place at a Chateau Marmont Bungalow during the filming of these movies when James Dean and Natalie Wood were still in their teens. (Scary and upsetting to my 1950's Iowa upbringing.) The review wrote that going from room to room "is to feel as if you have fallen into a parallel universe - one that's a lot like the real one, only weirder, both truer than reality and more ludicrous than the movies." I was ready to leave and join the much saner but creative world of Traction Ave.